Feed belt guide construction



' March 7, 1933. w E NEWHOUSE 1,900,657

FEED BELT GUIiDE CONSTRUCTION Filed April 50, 1352 Patented Mar. 7, 1933 WALTER r. NEWHOUSE, or ianToNnAnBoB, MICHIGAN FEED BELT GUIDE CONSTRUCTION Application filed April 30, 1982. Serial No. 608,439.

This invention relates to work-feeding or controlling means for feeding or propelling the work on different kinds of machines, such as machines for making box or crate blanks,

machines of this kind ordinarily compris- 7 ing work-feeding or controlling means for moving the work forward in a horizontal plane below one or more staplers. Ordinarily, the worlccontrolling means for this pur- 0 pose involves one or more feed chains or belts, having so-called feed dogs thereon for engaging portions of the work. It has also been more or less common to provide guiding means for the chains or. feed belts.

Generally stated, the object of the invention herein shown and described is to provide an improved construction and arrangement for effectively guiding and supporting the feed chains or belts, thereby to prevent binding or improper action of the chains or belts, leaving them free to operate in the desired manner, but at the same time insuring a straight and steady path of travel for the chain or belt, and the feed dogs thereon,

a by engagement of the ends of the feed dog mounting bolts with stationary guiding grooves, whereby clearance is provided be tween the sides of the channel-like guide and the sides of the chain or link belt, the latter being supported on its under side, thereby substantially reducing friction and afford ing opportunity for adjustment and inspection of the chain or link belt, and of the feed dogs thereon, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

It is also an object to provide certain details and features of construction and combinations tending to increase the general efficiency and the desirability of a link belt or feed dog guide construction of this particular character.

To the foregoing and other useful ends, the invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawing, in Whll ChrF" V Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a feed chain or link belt disposed in a guide embodying the principles of the invention, showing one side of the guide removed or broken away for convenience of illustration, this bemg a ver-' 'strip 13 is bolted or fastened to the upper side of this channel iron, thereby to engage tical longitudinal section on line l1 in Fig. 2 of thedrawing.

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section on line 22 in Fig.1 of the drawing.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the said sectionor short length of the chain orlink belt, andits associated guide construction, as shown in. Fig. 1 of the drawing.

t Fig. 4: is a perspective of one of the removable feed dogs which are removablymou'nted on the chain orlink belt, shown at the top of this View, and of the two sectionsof the feed dog mounting, shown at the bottom of this view.

Fig.5 is a of feed dog. r

As thus illustrated, the feed chain or link belt comprises the links 1, which are common and well known, and these links are held toperspective of 'a different form gether by, pins or pivots 2, as shown. The 1 ends of these pins or pivots engage in sockets in the sections 3 and 4 of the feed dog mounting, and the two sections v are held together by a transverse bolt 5,-having one end screwed into the section 3, and having a bolt head at its other end. The two ends of thisbolt are provided with reduced portions 6 and 7, as shown, and a tightening of this bolt will draw the two sections together, with the edge portion 8 of the section 4 in engagement with I the supporting shoulder 9 of the section 3, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing. In this 'way, the' dovetail-shaped base portion 10 of the feed dog 11 will be clamped in position,

in the dovetail groove thus formed in the top of the feed clog-mounting formed of the sections 3 and 4, as shown. To guide and support they feed chain or link belt, an inverted channel iron 12 is provided, and a wearing the under side of the chain or link belt, as shown more clearly in Fig. 2 of thedrawing. V

, The sides of the channel iron 12 are provided with vertically disposed plates 14, spaced I apart and disposed in parallel relation, each plate being provided on its inner side with'a longitudinal groove 15, as shown. The cylindrical reduced portions 6 and 7 engage these grooves 15, and slide therein, and thus guide the chain or link belt and the feed dogs thereon, in a straight path of travel. The guide plates 14: are removably held in place by bolts or screws 16, and with this construction it will be seen that the feed belt is held against displacement either up or down or laterally, and with practically aminimum of friction and wear. l/Vhile the channel plates 14 are thus made removable, in order to disengage the. chainor link.b el t, if so desired, it will be understood that only the upper stretches or runs of two or more parallel feed chains or link belts of this kind are provided with guides of this character, whereby the lower stretches or runs hang loose, permitting easy adjustment: or removal of the feed dogs when such is necessary or dcsirable. I

Thus, it-will be seen that the clamping bolts of the-feed dog mountings, each feed dog mounting comprising-a section 3 and a section 4", have end portionsthat are utilized to engage stationary guides, thereby to guide the link belt and feed dogs in a straight path of travel. Thesereduced end portions of the feed dog clamping b'oltscouldsupport the entire weight of-the upper stretch or run of the chainor link'belt, and of the work supported thereon, if necessary or desirable. However, to IDHHIIHZB fIIOtIOH-OII these end portions 6 and 7, and consequent:wearthereon; the ra1l or supporting str1p;13 1sem ployed; as previously' explained, whereby the weight on the portions-lii-may be reduced to a minimum. But, obviously, thc'cha-in-or link belt isheld' positively against: movement, eitherupwardly or downwardly orlaterally; and consequently the box' blanks or cratebl'anks or other parts, depending upon the: character of' the work,- arepropelled along the machine in the desiredv manner, with'= accuracy and* certainty. But at the sametime, these guidesare of 'such character that thefriction is practically reduced to a minimum, and in addition the parts are all readily accessible, and feed dogs that are readily interchangeable with otherdogs, and

' that arerea-dilyadjustable longitudinally of Y the-chain linhbelt, are properly guided in a fdefinite and cert'ain manner.

Obviously,- the linkbclt or: chain may have "rollers-to engage the rail or wearing strip 13,

thereby further reducing the friction and the eonsequentwear.

Witlr further: reference to the engaging edge portion 8", of the horizontal portion of the-sectionl, and the shoulder-'9, it will be seenthat this shoulder:isdmmediately below one" sidegof the dovetail groove formation. Consequently, when the pull 5' is tightened,

and thesectionsB'andA are drawntoward eacli other, the dovetail groove formation tends to force the base 10 ofithe dog'downward; and this forces the edge portion 8 downwardlyagainst: the shoulder 59, and in cured to the sides th" "their inner sides provided with said means of said horizontally extend'in this way a very firm and rigid interlocking connection is provided between the two sections of the feed dog mounting. If desired, the shoulder 9 can even be made slightly beveled, thereby to provide a wedging action when the edge 8 engages said shoulder, in a manner that will be readily understood.

WVhat I claim as my invention is:

1. In work-feeding or controlling instrumentalities, the combination of a feed chain or link belt, feed dogs held thereon by transverse-clamping bolts, and a guide for said chain or link belt, said guide having means for engaging the end portions of said clamping bolts, preventing either lateral or vcrtical displacement of the feed belt.

' placement of the ends of theclamping bolts.

A structure as specified in claim 1, in combination with a rail or wearing strip rigid with said guide, engaging the under side of said i (l belt.

e as specified in claim 1, each a two-section mounting by adjustably and rcmovably clamps-din cc, with one of said claniping bolts cat-sending transversely through each mounting, and the pivots of the link belt having-end wrtionsengaging the sides of each mounting. V

r 5'. Aistructure specified in claim 1, said feed dog h a guide comprising an inverted channel iron having parallel'guide platesremovably se- -"-eof. sa1d plates having foraengaging the ends of said clamping bolts. 6. in work-f eding or con rolhng means,

the combinationofa feed chain or link belt,

a feeddog mounting comprising two sections forengagihgtheouter ends of the pivots of thebelt, one section extending horizontally across the top of the belt, and the othersection havingashoulder for engaging the edge section, to-

gethe-r with-a clampingbolt connecting the two sections together, with a dovetail'groo've con-nection'between the top of the mounting.

and the feed dog whereby said bolt, when tightened crowds said edge-into engagement with said shoulder and clamps the feed dog inpla-ce on top of'the mounting.

7. A; structure asspecified in-claim 6, said. shoulderbeing immediately below one 1n- 'clined side of the dovetailgroove, whereby the dovetail-groove formation serves to press saidedge downwardly against said shoulder.

Specifications signed this twenty-seventh .l

day of April 1932.

' V1 NE'lVHOUSE. 

